Centerless grinder



Aug. 6, 1929. G. w. BINNS GENTERLESS GRINDER Filed Aug. 9, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l Geo/ye G. w. BINNS 1,723,128

CENTERLES S GRINDER Filed Aug. 9, 1926 a? g '25- g 5/ gnvenfo'c atfoz 14m 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Geo/96 .G. W. BINNS CENTERLESS GRINDER Flled Aug 9 1926 Aug. 6, 1929.

Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. BINNS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CINCINNATI GRINDERS INCORPORATED, F CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CENTERLESS GRINDER.

Application filed August 9, 1926. Seria1 No. 128,159.

This invention relates to improvements in grinding machinery and has particular reierence to what is known as a centerlcss grinder. A g

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of a novel and improved automatic grinding machine of the centerless type for the production of form work pieces which cannot be continuously .10 axially advanced through the machine in accordance with usual centerless grinding practice.

A further object of the invention is the provision of novel and automatic intermittently operating feed mechanism and control mechanism for insuring proper successive presentation of the work pieces to be operated upon.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved magazine structural details hereinafter disclosed within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a grinding machine embodying the improvements. Figure 2 is a tranverse sectional View as on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken as on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view partially in section of the magazine or hopper member and actuating devices therefor.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig ure 4. I

Figure 6 is a detail View of the pawl mechanism in retracted position.

Figure 7 is a detail of a slightly modified form of work guiding and positioning member.

- Figure 8 is a view of the control cam and associate parts, and

, wheel.

Figure 9 is a section as on line 99 of Figure 8.

In the drawings in which similar characters of reference are employed to denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A designates the bed of a center-less grinder having mounted thereon the casingor support B for the grinding wheel 10, which in the present instance is shown as formed peripherally with an arcuate groove as at 11. Mounted on the bed A in opposition to the grinding wheel is a slide C, bearing a conventional regulating wheel I). A screw E serves for in and out adjustment of the position of slide (3. This screw is swivelled to a slide block F, coupled by the toggle mechanism G with the face cam groove H in the cam disk 12, whereby rotation of this disk will impart an in and out or reciprocating movement to the regulating wheel slide C, and regulating wheel carried thereby, as is described and claimed in detail in co-pending application 102,762.

Intermediate the regulating wheel slide 0 and the bed A is a second slide I permitting of general adjustment of the machine. Mounted on the slide I is the work rest supporting bracket 13 bearing work rest blade 14 Which projects between the grinding wheel 10 and regulating wheel D as best shown in Figure 3. .This work rest is designed to support the Work pieces while they are being jointly engaged by the grinding and regulating wheels. In the grinding operation the work piece in this instance shown as a stud 15 having a terminal ball end 16 is so'held that the ball portion 16 lies on the work rest blade 14 and is urged by the inward movement of the regulating wheel D into the groove 11 in the periphery of the grinding wheel. The grinding wheel rotates downwardly toward the work support at a high or grinding rate of speed for removal of stock from the end 16 of the work piece. ing wheel at its point of engagement with the work piece moves slowly upward laterally frictionally engaging the work piece and controlling" the rotation thereof to cause-all portions of the surface of the ball to be equally presentdd to' the grinding The throw of the cam groove H is such as to gradually feed in the regulating wheel according to the amount of stock to At the same time the regulatthe portion 18 of the cam track is in engage- I ment with the roller 19, on toggle lever G, causing a sharp opening up or separating movement of the wheels so that a work piece may be removed and a new work piece substituted.

Referring now to the specific means for supplying and taking away the work pieces,

articular attention is invited to Figure 4 of the drawings, from which it will be noted that there is secured to slide 1, the bracket member 20 having the pintle 21 for the with a tooth magazinecarrier disk 22. This disk has the flange rim 23 provided with a multiplicity of sockets 24 to receive the shanks 15 of the work pieces. The carrier disk is rotatably retained on pintle 21 by the hubplate 25 exterior-1y overlying the carrier and having the semicircular flange 26 subtending the upper sockets 24 to limit the movement of the work pieces downwardly in the sockets as is shown in Figure 4. In use the work pieces are loaded by hand into-the up-. per sockets of the carrier and the carrier given a step by step movement to intermittently bring a fresh work piece into position on the work rest for grinding. This intermittent motion may be accomplished in a number of ways, but as indicated, is effected by the ratchet 27 secured to the carrier 22 and engageable by the spring pressed awl 28 on pawl carrier arm 29, pivoted as at 30 to bracket 20. An adjustable link 31 connects the pawl carrier arm with rock arm 32 on rock shaft 33. 15. second arm 34 on the shaft is connected by a spring 35 with the bracket and thus urges link 31 toward the right to the position shown in Figure 6, in which the pawl 28 is properly engaged of ratchet 27. As arm 33 is rocked, shifting the link and pawl carrier 29 toward the left, pawl 28 will straighten out and assume the position shown in Figure 4, thus advancing the carrier disk by the desired amount to present a new work piece.-

A supplemental locking pawl 36 on bracket 20 serves to automatically retain the carrier in adjusted position. It will be'understood thatby varying the length of link 31 the efiective positions of pawl 28 may be varied according to the amount of movement it is desired to impart to the carrier.

To automatically impart the desired step by step movement to the work carrier, use is made of the cam lug 37 on the face of disk 12. This lug engages roller 38 on slide rod 39 which has a rack 40 meshing with pinion-41 on shaft 33. Therefore, as the cam is rotated through action of worm 42, meshing with worm gear 45 and driven by belt 43 from motor 44, the lug 37 will, at an appropriate point, shift rod 39 to the right as shown in Figure 9, thus rocking shaft 33 to advance the work carrier.

It will be understood that some means are necessary for removal of a finished work piece from its position on the work rest before the carrier is advanced, since otherwlse, a am would occur. To prevent this, use is made of the automatic ejector member 46 slidably supported by portion 47 of bracket 13 and coupled with rocklever .48 actuated byslide rod 49 and rock arm 50 on rock shaft 51. This shaft extends rearwardlyalong the machine as shown in Figures 1 and 8 and has near its end the notched disk 52 engaged by trigger 53 on arm 54. Arm 54 is pivoted as at 55 to the cam casing 56 and has a lug 57 ridmg onthe cam lug 58 of disk 12. As the disk 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow and after the grinding operation is completed and the wheels have been separatedto release their grip on the work piece, lug 58 by engagement with lug 57 on lever 54 swings the lever to shift trigger 53 toward the left, rocking shaft 51 and causing the ejector to move intov position to engage and force toward the carrier the projecting ball end of the work piece then in engagement with the work rest. llhis movement may be sufiicient to force the work piece into discharge tube 60 whence it may slide out of the machine. However, in some instances it has been found desirable to have the socket in the carrier as nearly as possible conform to the outside diameter of the ball stud shank. In those instances where the ball is larger than the shank it is-therefore impossible for the work piece to properly fit the socket to be steadied during grinding and at the same time be forced inwardl through the socket. In this event the carrier is provided with a positioning bushing'fil, having 7 a portion 62 substantially fitting the shank of the work piece and an enlarged-recess 63 of size to receive the ball end thereof. In this event the ejector'merely forces the ball end axially off the work rest blade and intocam 12 is driven from motor 44 and serves while in this position the high point of earn surface 37 imparts maximum motion to rod 39, completing the indexing of the work carrier to bring the ball end of a work piece in position between the wheels on the work rest. In this position the regulating wheel controls the spinning or rotative movementof the work piece, the work rest by contact with the surface being ground controls the downward movement of the work piece,

while the fit of the socket on carrier with the projecting end of the work piecesteadies the piece against gyratory or vibrating movement and insures proper positioning'thereof. Continued movement of the cam then gradually brings the wheels together until the work is reduced to predetermined finished size, after which the portion 18 of the face cam opens up the wheels. After they have been partially opened the cam lug 58 rocks the actuating lever to operate the ejector and move the finished work piece off of the work rest. The piece having been so moved the carrier is free to index under actuation of pawl 28 controlled by rod 39 and cam lug 37, bringing a new work piece down between the wheels as the wheels themselves are brought toward each other in a position to properly engage and steady the end of the work piece in its downward movement.

It is to be noted that in this mechanism the work piece while steadied in the socket is free for axial movement so that it may automatically find itself on the work rest and in the groove of the grinding wheel. The operation is therefore that of true centerless grinding as distinguished from grinding in which the piece being operated upon is fixedly hole and its position absolutely determined by being gripped in a chuck or the like. At the same time the engagement of the carrier with the outer end of the work piece steadies it and prevents undue whip-.

ping or other action during the grindin 1. A centerless grinder including opposed grinding and regulating wheels and an intermediate work rest, a rotary carrier having a plurality of work supporting portions for successively presenting work pieces on the work rest between said wheels, and means for ejecting the finished work pieces.

2. A centerless grinder including opposed grinding and regulating wheels and an intermediate work rest, a rotary carrier, means for intermittently rotating the carrier to present successive work pieces supported thereby to the work rest between the wheels, means for intermittently separating the wheels and means for ejecting the finished work pieces automatically subsequent to separation of the wheels.-

3. The combination with a centerless grinder, including opposed grinding and regulating wheels and an intermediate work rest, of a rotary carrier supported adjacent the work rest and having a plurality of work receiving sockets, means limiting the insertion of the work pieces within the sockets, whereby they will partially project therefrom, means for intermittently rotating the carrier to present the projecting end of a work piece in the throat between the grinding and regulating wheels and'means for axially displacing the work piece in its socket upon completion of the grinding thereof.

4. The combination with a centerless grinder, including opposed grind'ng and regulating Wheels and anintermediate work rest, said wheels being mounted for relative in .'and out movement, of a rotatable work carrier supported adjacent the wheels, an ejector, and a driven control cam having a portion for regulating the relative movement of the wheels, a portion for imparting an intermittent rotary. movement to the carrier, and: an additional ejector operating portion, substantially as described.

5. A centerless grinder including )pposed grinding and regulating wheels and an intermediate work rest, a rotatable work supporting carrier mounted adjacent and in the plane of, the work rest and having a multiplicity of work steadying portions whereby a work iece maybe placed in one of the steadying portions and brought into engagement with the work rest by rotation of the carrier and means for bringing the wheels into engagement with the workpiece while supported by the Work rest and guided by the carrier.

6. A work feeding device for a centerless grinder including a rotary disk having a plurality of work receiving sockets, means for limiting. the movement of the work into said sockets during'a portion of the progress thereof, means for rotating the carrier and means for additionally shifting the work pieces into their sockets.

7. The combination with a centerless grinder, including opposed grinding and regulating wheels and an intermediate work rest, of a work carrier for presentation of work pieces in the grinding throat thereof, comprising a rotary disk having a plurality of work receiving sockets, a stationary flange subtending'the sockets terminating adjacent the work rest, means for imparting a step by step movement to the carrier tobring successive work pieces into engagement with the work rest, and means for shifting work pieces into the carrier sockets after they have cleared the flange adjacent the work rest.

v8. The combination with a centerless grinder, including opposed grinding and regulating wheels and an intermediate work rest, of a work carrier for presenting work to the grinding throat between the wheels, including a rotary disk having a plurality of work receiving sockets, said disk being mounted adjacent the Work rest, a ratchet associated with the disk, a driven control cam for controlling the width of grinding throat, an actuating pawl for the ratchet, and connections between the cam and pawl for intermittently shifting the pawl to cause a step by step advancing movement of the carrier.

10. A centerless grinder including periph-,

erally "opposed grinding and regulating wheels, one of said wheelsohaving a transverse configuration complementary to that to be produced on the work, a rotary carrier for workpieces disposed adjacent thewheels and at right angles to the common'plane maaiae thereof, means for rotating the carrier to successively present work pieces supported thereby between the opposed peripheral faces of the grinder, means intermediate the wheels for supporting one end of the work piece during the grinding thereof, and means for automatically laterally displacing the work piece as/respects said supporting means at the completion of the grinding thereof.

11. A centerless grinding machine including a grinding wheel operating at a high grinding rate of speed and an opposed regulating wheel rotatable about its axis in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the grinding wheel but at a' slow Work controlling rate of speed whereby the adjacent operative faces of the two'wheels move in opposite directions, a work rest projecting intermediate said adjacent wheel surfaces, and a rotatable carrier for a plurality of work pieces having means for supporting individual work pieces prior to and during the grinding operation in position for contemporaneous engagement by the work rest GEORGE w. BINNS: 

